Light-emitting diode (“LED”) strobes are typically comprised of a single LED or an array of LEDs. They generally include a drive circuit that is a constant current source. The energy to the LEDs is generally controlled by a pulse width modulation (“PWM”) signal which provides short bursts of energy to the LED or LED array.
A typical high power LED can withstand a drive current of up to 1.4 amps (A) continuously. In order to achieve higher light outputs, it is necessary to provide a higher current level to the LEDs. However, this would require exceeding 1.4 A which can risk failure of the LED and require careful attention to be paid to the supporting circuitry in order to achieve optimal performance within a constrained operating range. Further, the drive circuit providing the constant current generally increases significantly in size in order to provide higher power levels higher current levels. This would lead to larger components which may not be acceptable for many applications due to size constraints. For example, a typical inductor for a 1.4 A constant current (CC) driver is 4.3 mm square and 4.1 mm high. A typical inductor for 18 A CC driver is 16.4 mm square and 10 mm high.
Therefore, what is desired is an improved high power LED light that overcomes the disadvantages in the prior art.